The truth about white unemployment

The truth about white unemployment

The truth about unemployment figures in South Africa may shock you. Watch the video. Or read the article…

The biggest thing stopping us from getting what we want – that is directly in our control – is our story about why we can’t get it.

The most self-defeating story is blaming something we have no control over. It’s what I call the “I can’t because…” story. “I can’t because I’m too old, young, male, female, black white…” The truth is that there are people in the same demographic as you and I who are doing what we want to do.

Look, I’m sympathetic to anyone who is struggling to get a job. My father was retrenched multiple times before he died, his spirit broken, at age 54. But the belief that you are unable to get a job or achieve some key goal because of something you have no control over is your biggest barrier to that achievement.

What I hear more and more in South Africa today is I can’t get a job because I’m a white male. Is that even true?

Apartheid was an affirmative action program for whites so of course there are far less government jobs and yes BEE has reduced some corporate jobs. But here is the reality. Over 70% of top management in SA is still white. White unemployment is at around 7% – not much more than 1994, before the end of apartheid. Black unemployment is at 28%!

Clem Sunter, chairman of the Anglo American fund has pointed out that one demographic that has done particularly well since the end of apartheid are white Afrikaans males. Huh?

Not what you’d expect right but it’s precisely because this is the group that has had the least government protection in a post apartheid South Africa. They were forced to become entrepreneurs. Not all of course, but many of them have become extremely rich and successful.

We will always be able to find reasons why we can’t. Many of them will have some validity. But as long as that’s what we focus on we won’t! Rather let’s give ourselves a “Why I can” story. Let’s focus on all the reasons why we can: our tenacity, passion, desire to contribute, skills, access to people and knowledge. Focus on why you can and you you will be far more likely to succeed! As Henry Ford said: “You think you can, you think you can’t you’re always right!”

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